Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to snow clearing machines. More particularly the present invention relates to a snow clearing machine for flat roofs having a motive structure and snow clearing mechanism positioned on the machine such that during proper snow clearing operation, no part of the machine makes contact with the roof.
Description of Related Art
As of today there seems to be no method of removing snow from flat roofs except by manually shoveling the snow off. The reason the typical snow thrower could not (and should not) be used is that any contact with the roof surface is likely to result in damage to the roof. Manual shoveling is also very risky and very slow. Typically we see crews of 10 to 20 people at a time frantically shoveling flat roofs. The cost of such manual labor could be as high as $100.00/hour per person. Even with plastic shovels, manual laborers are simply not able to keep these shovels away from the roof surface.
Therefore, what is needed is a snow clearing machine that makes no contact with a flat roof when in proper operation. A layer of about 4″ or more of snow is left on roof. The modified snow clearing machine will glide over this layer of snow and remove only excess snow.